Double Wedding Ring tutorial

 Hello quilty friends, 

I don't know how long I have owned the Double Wedding Ring die by Accuquilt ( click), but it has been a few years at least.  I felt it was a die I needed to have in my collection, because Double Wedding Ring quilts are iconic, aren't they?

                                                     ( photo from eBay via Pinterest)

BUT, that die looked a bit intimidating, so it just sat waiting patiently in my bookcase.

Well, every week or so, in my Facebook group, I ask members which die they would like me to do a tutorial on. The Double Wedding Ring die had been suggested a few times, but I was putting that one off :P. 

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One very persistent member ( you know who you are! ;) )  kept asking for that one, so I finally decided it was time to face the challenge, and boy, was it a challenge! I watched a bunch of videos, tried a large number of methods, ripped out lots of seams, and started over several times. I was just about ready to stick that die in the Time Out corner....

BUT, in the end, I came up with a "good enough" block, I had fun, and I can see myself making a full sized quilt ( rather than just one block) with this die! 

To prevent others ( you) from feeling the same frustration, I want to share some of my tips and hints, as well as a link to the YouTube video that I made to explain the process, and hopefully you can have much more success right from the start!

Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/VDXrO5AvMxI

Accuquilt's Double Wedding Ring die comes on 2 dies and gives you 2 options for making your blocks:

Your first option is to make a pieced arc, using shapes D and E. This is the more traditional look that we see most often.

The second option is to make a solid arc, using shape F. 

You still use shapes A, C, and B for both the arc options.

Construction for the block, AFTER you decide which arc version you are going for, is exactly the same, and I'm hoping that my hints and tips will make this process much easier for you. I can't tell you how many videos I watched, and how many seams I ripped out, and how many times I started again! But I do think I can now share a pretty foolproof method to get a "good enough" block, because I think, when sewing curves, a perfect block seems almost impossible.

Alright, let's get down to business!

IF you are PIECING your arcs, for EACH block you will need this many shapes cut:

A~ center block~ 1

B~ corner blocks~ 8

C~ melon centers~ 4

D~ middle 3 pieces in each arc~ 24

E and E ( reversed)~ 8 of EACH.

As always, I recommend that you measure the shapes on your die and write those somewhere handy. I write mine right on top of my dieboard with chalk marker. Make sure to pay attention to which way you must cut your fabric so it goes through your machine correctly!(Selvedge faces the sticker on your die and the sticker goes through your machine sideways). 

I found it easier to keep my shapes D, E, and B straight by placing them next to a piece of paper where I wrote their letters:

You CAN tell the shapes apart, because B is a square, and E  and Er have only one notch, while D has 4 notches, but why not keep pieces organized?

Once you have your pieces cut, start sewing your arcs together by sewing 3 D's together a total of 8 times, and then adding shape E and E( reversed) to both ends ( match the notches).

You want to make 8 of these units, and then to 4 of these you will add the B squares

Press your seams to ONE SIDE. I know there are people out there saying to press open, but I found while easing these to sew curves that there was a lot of stress on the seams. 

Once you have prepared all your arcs you are ready to move onto the next step.

If you are choosing to sew with solid arcs ( I might recommend this for your first try), cut the following for your block:

A~ center block~1

B~ corner blocks~ 8

C~ melon centers~4

F~ solid arcs~ 8

Sew B squares to the ends of 4 of your arcs, like this: ( seams pressed towards the B squares).

Now we are ready for the next step, using either arcs.

You are going to sew your arc WITHOUT THE B square to shape C.

These shapes both have a notch and ideally you want those to match up as you are sewing your curves.

I tried SO many different ways to make this resulting partial football shape to come out looking good: A million pins, glue, some curse words ( just kidding), and watched all kinds of videos to see how others managed this process. In the end, I found the EASIEST and most reliable method was to glue the starting point edge ( just so you don't sew your finger!) and then NOT to use any pins AT ALL ( I know~ WHAT???). My YouTube video contains a close-up of this process so check that out if you like.

( please note that you will see different fabrics in my photos, and don't let that confuse you. I tried making this block so many different times that I ran out and had to start using different fabric!)

If you don't feel comfortable sewing curves without pins, then by all means use them, but do try sewing without and see if your results are acceptable.

To pin, I start in the center at the notches,  then glue the starting and ending point and then pin in between, gently pulling my fabric so they line up along the raw edge.

You can sew over your pins, and shouldn't break your sewing machine needle, as long as you sew S L O W L Y. 

After sewing, remove your pins and press towards shape C

Please note that you will have a 1/4" seam difference on BOTH edges!

Now it is time to complete the football shape by adding the arc that has the B pieces attached.

This is really the part that gave me the most trouble and I tried SO many different methods to get this to look good. ( You might see the fabric in these photos change because I ran OUT of fabric!)

In the end, the method that worked best I did not take photos of, but it is very visible in my video, so please check it out there. You need to line up your seams on your outer arc and inner partial football shape, and the best way to do that is to pin through your seam allowances.

Then sew along that straight edge until you get to the pin. Twist and maneuver your fabric to start sewing your curve, trying to make it so your notches line up.

Again, if you feel more comfortable using pins, then by all means do so.

Now here is my AHA moment and this tip worked so well for me that I want to share it with you.

When you have sewed past the notches, but BEFORE you get to your other seam, tie off your thread and remove your partial block from your machine. Take a pin and line up your last seam the same way you did the first one, and start sewing FROM THE UNFINISHED end and repeat the same process ( sewing to pin and then twisting your fabric gently to make that curved sewing work. Sew until you get to where you left off the first time and then overlap a bit and tie off.

I found that by using this method I was able to get seams to line up so nicely and so that will be my little trick from now on!

Press whichever way your fabric wants to lay flat. You have now completed 1 of your footballs. Now go make 3 more ;).

Your final step to complete your Double Wedding Ring block is to sew your footballs to shape A.

Start by marking a dot at the 1/4" mark on the back of all the "arms". This will aid you in lining up your pieces.

To sew your footballs onto shape A you will want to line up the seam allowance between B and the arc with the dot on shape A.

You can pin where the notches meet, but you don't have to. Start sewing a 1/4" seam at the dot and sew around, easing and matching up your fabric as you go. When you get to the other end, you should again match your dot to the seam allowance. 

You can glue it or pin it to keep it in place, but don't be afraid to knot your thread, prepare that end the way you did the starting point,  and then continue sewing.

I pressed towards the A ( center) piece.

One football done and three more to go!

You are going to attach all the other footballs in exactly the same manner.

But this time you will have that block B to line up the seam with! So use a pin again, and pin right through the seam allowances of both block B's, catching that point of A nicely in between.

 Now remember, if you have a hard time getting that right seam to line up nicely, sew the seam partially, then pull your work out and sew from the other direction like we did on the arcs.

And voila, your block is now done!

I only worried about making one block, but if you want to add more, you can check out the pattern on the Accuquilt site ( click) to see how it's done. The screen shot below shows where to find those instructions:

 

Remember that you can always check out my full video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/VDXrO5AvMxI

If you want to check out the die, here is that link again: https://tidd.ly/4oKZZ1h

And if you would like to join our Facebook group, dedicated to Accuquilt fans who would like a friendly group full of  support and encouragement, here is that link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/madewithaccuquiltsupportgroup

Happy creating!

Monique